The candy man comes to Chicago Street Theatre

The wildly imaginative tale of the world’s most famous candy man comes to life onstage beginning tonight at Chicago Street Theatre in Valparaiso.

“Willy Wonka” is a musical stage adaptation of the classic Roald Dahl book Charlie and The Chocolate Factory. Becky Fox, who is co-directing the production with Stephanie Naumoff, said it’s the based on the Broadway version done in 2005 in the spirit of the 1974 film starring Gene Wilder sans the weirdness of the recent remake featuring Johnny Depp.

“It’s set very contemporary and we are going with a theatrical presentation,” Fox said. “It’s very imagined, very creative and out of the box.”

Karen Gengnagel of Chesterton talks to NWI Parent about her young son’s battle with cancer.

It started when Tyler was 7, so that was five years ago. He became sick, and complained of a side pain. We thought that maybe he had just hurt himself, so we watched it for a couple of days until it got too bad. We finally took him to the doctor, and they thought he had pneumonia. They treated him for that for a weekend, but it progressively got worse. They sent him home, and by the time we went back, his lung was collapsed, so they sent us up to the University of Chicago. They finally realized that he had a tumor behind his spleen. They did a biopsy and discovered that it was cancer.

By that time, it was already in his whole abdomen, wrapped around his aorta, and engulfed some of his intestines. His abdomen was huge. I was pregnant at the time, but his belly was bigger than mine. It was pretty bad. At that point, all they could do was put him in a drug-induced coma until they could figure out what kind of cancer he had. They told us he had about 48 hours to live if the chemo didn’t kick in.

Here’s our weekly showcase of the latest and greatest new selections in media for youth.

From books and games to educational toys and DVDs, there are plenty of fun ideas this Thanksgiving to feed the appetite of the imagination.

This week, three bright and vivid books offer a look at folk art and a children’s view of dance and special tribute to the importance of science-loving “nerds” and how they can help “save the day.”

BOOKS

AGES 4 TO 8

Chasing Degas
by Eva Montanari (Abrams Books, $16.95)

Monsieur Degas is an artist who paints ballet dancing students as they practice at a beautiful opera house. When this eccentric painter mistakenly takes the bag of a young ballerina and absent-mindedly leaves his own behind, this young dancer takes to the streets to make the needed switch and happens to meet all the greats of the art world along the way. This 32-page hardcover introduces young readers to art legends like Monet, Renoir, Caillebotte and Cassatt. It’s available in stores now or at abramsyoungreaders.com.

Product from Carol's Daughter “A Magical Beauty Collection.” Carol's Daughter and Disney have created a collection of genuinely natural hair and bath treats that gently condition, detangle and soothe. These magical products were inspired by Disney's newest princess, Tiana. (Associated Press)

Holly Price Alford is over the moon about Disney’s first black princess. Her 8-year-old daughter is, too, but not because the princess is black.

“She understands that this is a princess who is African American,” said Alford, who is black and lives in Meadowbrook, Va. “But do I think it’s a big deal to her? No.”

Princess Tiana debuts in The Princess and the Frog in New York and Los Angeles today and nationwide Dec. 11, and grown-ups have certainly been buzzing. But for many little black girls growing up with Malia and Sasha Obama in the White House, the historic nature of Tiana’s debut in Disney’s mostly white princess lineup doesn’t quite seem to register.

NWI Parent Blog—Photographer and writer mom of two, Beth always brings a new twist to the suburban mundane.

On Monday I had lunch with friends and dinner with another set of friends and at the end of the day I wish I could have laid in bed and thought about how lucky I am to have such wonderful people in my life, but instead I laid in bed nearly moaning because my stomach hurt so terribly.

Yes, I realize that was the longest sentence in the history of ever but it’s not my fault.

Anyway, it didn’t take too long until the stomach pain turn into vomiting all night long.

Continue reading Beth’s latest post here on her “Laptops to Countertops” blog.

Have your hearty winter meals in a single, easy-to-prepare dish

Winter evenings are back—filled with hungry kids, tired parents and homework, just to name three. Backyard grilling days are over—replaced with holiday shopping at crowded malls—and it’s back to the kitchen stove, where the range and the oven await.

Here are three delicious dinners to help you through, all of which have less than 10 minutes prep time. Apart from the slow-cooker pot roast, the other two dinners are of the family skillet variety—one pot, fast dinner and easy clean-up. As cooking maven Ina Garten likes to say, “What’s not to love?”

Slow Cooker Hearty Pot Roast

(6 servings)

You can prep the potatoes and carrots the night before if you wish, covering them with cold water and refrigerating.

Check out our “New Arrivals” online newsletter, coming to NWI inboxes every Wednesday morning. There’s a lot going on between issues of NWI Parent, and we don’t want you to miss a thing! We’ll keep you informed on the latest parenting news and trends, family-friendly events, local destinations and resources, great products, and engaging blogs from Northwest Indiana parents. Subscribe today and stay connected. See this week’s newsletter here.

THIS WEEK’S FEATURED EVENT

Nov 26: State Street Thanksgiving Day Parade
CHICAGO | More than 400,000 visitors are expected to line the route for this annual televised event, which features marching bands, equestrian units, floats, performance groups, celebrities, and everyone’s favorite Thanksgiving parade staple: enormous helium balloons. Find out more here.

ALSO THIS WEEK

• Ongoing: Holly Days in downtown Valparaiso

• Ongoing: Santa Claus in Crown Point in the Lower Level Courthouse Shops of Old Courthouse in Crown Point

• Ongoing: Snow Much Fun at the Chicago Children’s Museum in Chicago

• Through Nov 29: Kids Activities and Stories at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore Visitor Center

• Through Dec 6: Dooby Dooby Moo at Lifeline Theatre in Chicago

• Through Dec 6: Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka at the Chicago Street Theatre in Valparaiso

• Through Dec 20: The Christmas Schooner at the Center for the Visual and Performing Arts in Munster

• Through Jan 3: Christmas around the World and Holidays of Light at the Museum of Science and Industry of Chicago

• Through Jan 10: A Christmas Story Comes Home at the South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority in Hammond

• Through Mar 14: Free Ice Skating at Millennium Park in Chicago

• Nov 25-29: Orak Shrine Circus at Hammond Civic Center in Hammond

• Nov 27: 4th Friday Arts/Crown Point Polar Express in historic downtown Crown Point

• Opens Nov 27: The ice skating rink opens at Deep River Waterpark in Crown Point

• Nov 27-Dec 18: Caroling at Cloud Gate at Millennium Park in Chicago

• Nov 27-Dec 27: The Snow Queen at Victory Gardens Biograph Theater in Chicago

• Nov 30-Dec 14: The Story of the Little Mermaid at the Center for the Visual and Performing Arts in Munster

About this time each year, I, along with many others, take time to reflect on all the blessings in my life and remember all that I have to be thankful for.

Not only is it about being grateful for what you have, but seeing that silver lining even on a cloudy day and recognizing that even tough situations can bring some good.

In looking around at my life and my surroundings, I see so many things to be appreciated. Here are a few thoughts:

The Centers for Disease Control reports that an estimated 16 percent of children ages 6 to 19 are overweight as determined by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey of 1999-2002. That’s a 45 percent increase from the 1988-94 survey.

Clearly, the alarming reality of booming childhood obesity rates is well publicized, but even those not up on all the news reports can see the epidemic at shopping malls, playgrounds and schools.

Despite a high level of awareness, the challenge of helping kids make the necessary lifestyle changes to fight the battle of the bulge remains an ominous task. Educated parents can exercise much control in the toddler, preschool and early elementary years, but perhaps most challenging and at risk are those with a greater level of independence.